How to Cook Winter Vegetables

How to Cook Winter Vegetables

Winter Harvest

The single-digit temps and scaled back sunlight might make you think the produce aisles are a bust in the winter months, but instead, they're boasting a bumper crop of hearty, healthy cold weather lovin' veggies. We've got a bounty of recipes, tips and tricks for cooking kale, squash, bok choy, root vegetables, avocados, and a whole lot more. Read on...

Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes

Mash 'em, roast 'em, puree 'em into soup -- potatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients on the menu. Just make sure that if you're boiling them, you start with cold water that's then heated up. If they're tossed into a bubbling pot, the outer parts will cook much faster then the insides.

400 F for 30 minutes should suffice for perfect baked potatoes. If you like a softer-skinned spud, slather it in butter or bacon grease and wrap it in foil.

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Chestnuts

First things first -- don't eat 'em raw! They're almost impossible to peel, and the high levels of tannic acid can incite a nasty tummy ache. Instead, make a horizontal or X-shaped slash on the flat side of the chestnut and either boil or roast them.

To boil for a recipe that will continue to cook them, cover the chestnuts with cold water, bring it to a boil, and let the chestnuts simmer for three minutes. Take the pot off the heat, but leave the chestnuts in the water until you're ready to peel them with a sharp knife. Keep the chestnuts in for 15-25 minutes if you're planning to mash them.

To roast chestnuts, make the cuts as described above (otherwise, they can actually explode!), and place in a baking sheet in a 400F over for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally and serve hot.

Store fresh chestnuts in a paper bag in the refrigerator and use soon after purchase.

- Braised Red Cabbage with Chestnuts
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Squash

Smaller squash can be served right in the shell. Cut an acorn squash in half, remove seeds, and bake in a 375 F oven for 30 minutes. Mash a pat of butter and a little bit of brown sugar into the flesh with a fork and serve.

Separate removed seeds from the pulp, toss with olive il and salt, and roast on a baking sheet in a 250 F oven until they're lightly browned. They're great as a snack or tossed into a salad.

Cut a squash in half, prick the flesh all over with a fork, and rub with oil. Roast it in a pan at 425 F until the insides are soft and outside is lightly charred. Scoop out the insides and mash with butter, salt and cream for a satisfying side dish, or puree with stock for a hearty soup.

- Heath's Butternut Squash Risotto
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Snow Peas

Remove strings from snow peas by breaking off their stem and pulling along the length of the shell. Some have strings only on one side, and others on both.

Blanch snow peas in boiling water for 30 seconds, and toss them into cold water immediately to preserve their vibrant green color.

Snow peas are best if eaten immediately, but can be kept in a perforated plastic bag in the fridge for up to three days.

- Stir-Fried Shrimp with Snow Peas and Ginger
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Radishes

To enhance the color of red radishes, add a little bit of lemon juice to the cooking liquid. Boil water and simmer whole or sliced radishes until just tender, or stem for 5-15 minutes.

One of the simplest, most delicious radish preparations is to slice them into coins, toss with salt and olive oil, and bake on a sheet at 425 F for 30-45 minutes until lightly browned and tender.

Any method of cooking will tame the pungency of the raw state. But, if you like the peppery bite, just slather uncooked slices with butter and a light sprinkle of kosher salt and munch away.

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Kale

A light dose of frost can actually improve the flavor of kale, making it just a little sweeter -- and the perfect winter green. It's packed with antioxidants, folic acid and Vitamins A, B6 and C and can stand in for spinach in many recipes or be used raw in salads.

Select the youngest, freshest-looking kale you can find (it's less bitter), and steer clear of mottled or yellowed leaves. It'll keep in the fridge for about 3 days, but use it as soon as you can after buying.

Rip the leaves into bite sized pieces and boil in 2:1 ratio of water and vinegar until they turn bright green. Drain and serve. It's also great sauted in wine or stock with a little bit of chopped garlic or vinegar.

- Basic Sauted Kale
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Winter Lettuces

With the lettuce growing season extended by the use of cold frames, there's no need to scrape by on pallid supermarket iceberg. Varieties like romaine, watercress, arugula, Bibb (a.k.a. Boston or Butterhead), and lamb's lettuce are not only dark-leafed and delicious -- they're also vitamin-packed and full of nutritional goodness like iron, calcium and potassium.

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Cauliflower

For longer storage (up to two weeks) keep cauliflower in the fridge with the leaves still on. Removing them greatly reduces the window of freshness.

Add a tablespoon or milk of lemon juice to cooking water for whiter cauliflower, and don't use an aluminum or iron pot, as your veggies will take on a yellow tint. Iron pots will turn it brown or blue-green.

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Broccoli

Raw broccoli requires good air circulation, so if you can't consume it right away, mist the heads with water, wrap loosely with paper towels, and store in the fridge in a perforated plastic bag for up to three days.

Over-cooking broccoli robs it of its flavor, nutrients and color. Steam or stir-fry it until just tender, or, if it must be boiled, cook just to the point of tenderness, and then plunge into cold water to preserve the vibrant color.

Cut stalks and florets into similarly sized pieces to ensure uniform cooking times.

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